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Climbing La Soufriere Volcano – St Vincent and Grenadines

Climbing La Soufriere Volcano – St Vincent and Grenadines

April 30, 2013

Last Updated on May 9, 2019

If you’re looking for an adventure on the islands of St Vincent and Grenadines, climbing La Soufriere Volcano is the absolute best thing to do. Here’s my experience climbing the highest point on the island.

Climbing La Soufriere

The air is hot and steamy, and I’m completely drenched in sweat. Emerald palm trees and beautiful yellow-and-red heliconia surround us but I’m too tired to care. I’m out of breathe and low in energy level, gasping for breathe and working hard to keep up with the rest. By this time, we’ve been walking for just two hours, but it feels like eternity on this seemingly never-ending trek.

We are here on a mission to hike all the way to the top of La Soufriere volcano – the highest point on the island of St Vincent standing at 4,048 feet above sea level. Located in the northern part of the island, La Soufriere occupies almost a one third of the island, and features many geographical formations such as hot springs, several craters and dry rivers.

Climbing la soufriere volcano

As an active volcano, La Soufriere sure has made some history. The biggest eruption took place in 1902, killing almost 1,680 people during this destructive explosion. The death zone was inhabited by mostly Caribs, destroying this last large remnant of Carib culture. The last recorded eruption was in April 1979; there were no casualties due to advance warning.

Our guide Ozzie tells us it usually erupts every 50 to 60 years, and it’s definitely safe to climb now. Having been a local guide for nine years with Sailor’s Wilderness Tours, he’s accumulated quite an impressive collection of knowledge on La Soufriere and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and has climbed this monster of a volcano more than a hundred times. When I ask what is it that keeps him motivated, he answers, “The look on your face when you reach the top of the volcano.”

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Climbing la soufriere

Walking through Eden

Earlier that morning, we started our walk at the base of the volcano in the midst of a thick, luscious rainforest. Tall coconut trees, banana shoots and stick-thin bamboo stood elbow to elbow in the thick luscious forest, vying for sunlight, while curly vines dangled carelessly from the canopy. Cute little green lizards scuttled past us along with a few other millipedes and spiders. Mosquitoes buzzed above our heads and dragonflies whizzed from one flower to another.

Along the way, Ozzie pointed out plants commonly used by locals, such as the trumpet leaves, often boiled with water as a remedy for cold. We also came across a fern plant with an interesting name, jumanju; each of its leaves curled up like a chameleon’s tail, lime green on the outside and brown underneath. Another plant I found interesting was the strangular fig, also known as the monkey goblin, that had long winding roots resembling those in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

We constantly heard distinctive high-pitched ringing sounds echoing from the distance. Ozzie pointed out the sounds came from the whistling waddle, one of the two endemic birds from St Vincent and the Grenadines. In fact, La Soufriere is home to five endemic plants of St Vincent and the Grenadines, two endemic birds and four endemic reptiles. The volcano has been a proposed National Park and once its status gets approved, it will be the first declared National Park for SVG. It is now under the National Protected Areas System Plan managed under the National Parks Rivers and Beaches Authority.

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Climbing la soufriere

Climbing la soufriere

The Trail to Heaven

As we ventured higher and higher into the rainforest, the gently sloping trail eventually turned into a series of steep bamboo steps. We had to take big strides and haul our bodies up the steps with the help of our bamboo walking stick. Two of the girls in our trip, Sarah and Ruth, had already thrown in the white towel and headed back down the trail, but the few of us were determined to forge ahead.

The ascent became tougher and tougher with each step we took. We didn’t dare ask Ozzie how long more we had left to reach the top, worried that it would only lower our morale. But Ozzie pushed us further, enticing us with the view that would await. We scrambled over muddy rocks, crossed river streams, and hiked up ridges — all with the aim of getting to our destination.

After a seemingly endless steep ascent, we finally emerged from the rain forest to a rugged and rocky terrain. “We are now walking on lava,” announced Ozzie. The volcano had spewed out these lava almost four decades ago, but they have since solidified and formed a new environment. The tree line had faded by now and we were surrounded by low bushes and pretty flowers.

“This is the Soufriere flower,” said Ozzie, pointing to a simple, purple flower sprouting out from the small bushes that grew around the lava rocks. The volcano was named after this plant, La Soufriere, meaning Sulfurer, which only grows near the top of the volcano.

Our spirits grew. We knew what this meant — we were almost at the top.

Climbing la soufriere

Climbing la soufriere

Top of the World

Now back on the trail, we’re ready for the last stretch of the ascent. But the view behind us is so distracting, we constantly stop in our tracks to snap photos of the stunning landscape. The greenery of the lush rainforest splashes beneath our feet, covering every inch of the volcano base, stretching all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Ozzie points out to a hut with a tin roof in the far distance – that was where we started our trek. We find it hard to believe how far we’ve come.

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The large lava boulders are now gone; in their place are steep mounts of small, black sandy rocks. Trudging up on this volcanic ash is akin to walking on a Stairmaster — no matter how hard I try, I seem to stay at the same spot. Ozzie encourages me further, “Just twenty more minutes and we’ll be there.”

“Trust me, it’s worth the hard work.”

With much determination (and constantly stopping to catch my breathe), I press on and finally catch up with Alberto and the rest of the group to be greeted by a mind-blowing view.

Before us, the circular rim of the volcanic crater plunges down 700 feet or so to the bottom. On the crater floor is a dome-shaped mount that rises approximately up to 500 feet, covered completely in green vegetation. The crater bottom too is blanketed in green grass and splashed with milky water that has been accumulated from the rain. And somewhere in the distance, covered by the clouds, lies the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea. The scenery is so dramatic and the landscape so rugged and alien that it almost feels like another galaxy here.

Two and a half hours of steep walking later, we’re finally here, at the peak of La Soufriere.

“I’ve done this for nine years, but I never get tired of this,” Ozzie exclaims as we sit and drink in the fantastic view. Indeed, it’s easy to see why.

Climbing la soufriere
Climbing la soufriere


Disclaimer: This trip was made possible by Discover SVG, but all opinions expressed above are our own.

 

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Nellie Huang

Nellie Huang is the founder of WildJunket. Originally from Singapore, Nellie has traveled to over 150 countries across 7 continents. As an accomplished travel writer, she has written for BBC Travel, CNN and Rough Guides. She is also the author of five travel books, including the latest Lonely Planet's Mexico guidebook. Read more about her here and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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The Comments

  • Ryan
    August 8, 2013

    Definitely worth the view, but woowee it seems like one helluva hike! Kind of remind me of New Zealand's Tongariro crossing, just more green. Stellar photos!

    Reply
  • Neal
    October 30, 2013

    From your description (bamboo steps, 2.5 hours) it sounds like you did the "easy" hike? We did a hike last year of the back (west) side and it was actually intense. Started directly along the waterthe beach and up through cow paths and the weed fields. Left 7:30am and got back at 4:45. It was pretty terrifying in spots.

    Reply
    • Nellie
      Neal
      October 30, 2013

      Yes Neal, we did the easy route. It wasnt that bad but I guess we are quite unfit and it was still a challenge for us. A beautiful hike though!

      Reply
  • @redhunttravel
    December 2, 2013

    Love the lizard shot and how lush the vegetation is around the volcano….very very cool!

    Reply
  • Janice Baldwin
    December 29, 2018

    I have photos of the volcano taken in 1965 when the crater was filled with a lake on which ducks would swim…they were put there by the local vet. We climbed to the top, lay down and peered over the 100meter drop to the lake below. The crater was very beautiful then, much more so than now. Happy memories of my year in St Vincent teaching in the Girls High School.

    Reply
  • Ongoing Effusive Eruption at La Soufriere, St Vincent |
    January 16, 2021

    […] Hikers on the crater rim of La Soufriere. 1979 dome is clearly visible as is a reinstated crater lake. Image courtesy Wild Junket Blog, Apr 2013 […]

    Reply

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